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Tremere
Nickname: Warlocks, Mages Sect The Tremere were more than glad to join the fledgling Camarilla when the sect was forming, and they quickly made themselves invaluable there. In fact, the Tremere are one of the linchpins of the sect. They have a marked interest in keeping the Camarilla strong, of course - I with their hated Tzimisce enemies directing their Sabbat minions against any Tremere they find, the Warlocks require allies. And with the valuable magical power they offer, the Tremere find the Camarilla glad to provide the support they require. With the Camarilla's protection, the Tremere are free to pursue the arcane mastery they so avidly desire. Whether dreaded, mistrusted, feared or reviled, the insular vampires of Clan Tremere are anything but ignored. Those who have heard of the clan's doings are typically suspicious of the Tremere, and with good reason - for the Warlocks are aptly named. Through their own artifice, they have mastered a form of vampiric sorcery, complete with rituals and spells, that is as potent - if not more so - than any other power of the Blood. Paired with the clan's rigid hierarchy and the smoldering ambition so common among Warlocks, this power is an unsettling thing indeed to those who know what the Tremere are capable of doing. Clan Tremere is a Clan shaped by its practice of blood sorcery. A flexible Discipline, Thaumaturgy is heavily entrenched within the Tremere, and they maintain cultic havens known as chantries to study its uses and share secrets among each other. To the Tremere, blood is both sustenance and the source of mystical power; they gather in their witchhouses to further their understanding of the vitae that is such a focal point of their unlives. Beyond the practice of Thaumaturgy itself, the Warlocks are known for their close-knit hierarchy. They hail from the Old World, with an established power base in Vienna to which all members of the Clan answer to some degree. Beset by enemies who call them usurpers and backed by allies who may or may not defend the alliances they force, the Tremere have evolved to be self-sufficient. Indeed, many who eye them warily think they possess too great an edge, with their flexible Discipline and protective Clan and chantry structure, and move against them both secretly and overtly. Clan Disciplines AUSPEX, DOMINATE, THAUMATURGY Appearance The sorcerous Tremere are typically imposing or sinister in mien. Some favor classic suits; others prefer a slightly more antiquated look, dressing in 1940s-cut suits, Edwardian finery or the simple black turtlenecks. Many wear charms or amulets inscribed with cabalistic or other arcane symbols, as a sign of their learning. Although individual Warlocks may run the gamut from immaculately precise to disheveled and eccentric, the vampiric sorcerers' eyes always gleam with hidden insight and frightening acuity. Havens Many Tremere rely on a central chantry the Clan maintains in cities where it has a notable presence. A chantry is open to any of Tremere's bloodline and absolutely forbidden to all others. More solitary Warlocks develop private havens, with all of the trappings one might expect from an occult scholar, from libraries to alchemical laboratories to moonlit balcony observatories and even more sinister oubliettes where vivisected "research subjects" bleed according to experimental Tremere-controlled stimuli. The Warlocks are infamous for their well-guarded havens; almost all boast mystical wards that even other Tremere would find difficult to circumvent. Background The Tremere draw from a fairly narrow pool of potential acolytes. Those who have an awareness of the supernatural, who are driven to succeed, who seek answers that elude less inquisitive individuals, yet who also have the discipline to heed the edicts of the hierarchy make good Tremere. This isn't to say that individualists don't have room in the Clan; rather, those who go their own way may well find themselves leading a chantry -- or greeting the sun if their interests don't align with those of the pyramid.Clan Tremere has an unspoken tradition of sexism, and most of its elders are male. Tremere ancillae have become rather more open-minded of late, though, and draw ample numbers of suitably ambitious and persistent acolytes from both sexes. Character Creation Tremere typically have strong Mental Attributes and a high Willpower to match; dilettantes and churls cannot meet the grueling demands of sorcery. Many have Knowledges as their primary Abilities, although Skills are also highly in demand. Although a few Tremere specialize in one particular area of excellence, many more prefer; a more well-rounded approach to personal aptitudes; after all, a Warlock can typically rely on no one other than himself. They often favor Backgrounds that heighten their relationship to the Clan, like Mentor, Status, and Retainers (whom an accomplished Warlock may craft from otherwise inert components). Clan Weakness Tremere dependency on blood is even more pronounced than that of other Kindred. It takes only two draughts of another vampire's blood for a Tremere to become blood bound instead of the normal three -- the first drink counts as if the Tremere had taken two drinks. The elders of the Clan are well aware of this, and seek to impart loyalty to the Clan by forcing all neonate Warlocks to drink of the (transubstantiated) blood of the seven Tremere elders soon after their Embrace. Organization No tighter internal structure exists among the clans. No clan binds its neonates so strictly. And no clan acts with such unity of purpose as the Tremere. Paranoia keeps the clan well-oiled; and unified. Of course, the Tremere do encourage individual achievement among the group, seeing it as a Darwinian method of ensuring the clan's strength. With such ambitious, powerful young vampires cooperating with such commendable clan unity, it's no wonder the Warlocks have plenty of envious and spiteful enemies among the Kindred. The Tremere's pyramidal hierarchy contains several ranks, each divided into seven mystical "circles" that an aspirant must master if he desires to advance in rank (and nearly every Tremere desires that very thing). The lowest rank, that of apprentice, belongs to neonates. Above the apprentices are the regents, each one the master of a chantry; then the lords, whose domains include several chantries each. Forty-nine Tremere hold the title of pontifex, each bearing great responsibilities. And at the top of the pyramid sits the Inner Council of Seven, some the masters of entire continents, and all whispered to be in constant mental communication with the others. Familiars All Tremere are taught a ritual to create a familiar once they enter the Third Circle. A familiar is a small animal alchemically altered by the vampire's blood, essentially creating an altered form of a ghoul. This ritual can only be preformed on already existing animals between the size of a small bird and large dog, it cannot be done on humans or anything larger. A Tremere can only ever have one familiar. Once the bonding is complete, they cannot ever have another other creature. Once a Tremere selects an animal they feel fitting for their person, they endure a five night ritual of reciting incantations and feeding the animal vitae, at the end of which is becomes bonded with their master. After the ritual is finished, a familiar can telepathically communicate with its master when within 50 feet of her, however a Tremere cannot 'see through the eyes' of their familiar, it has to be explained to them. A familiar has ratings of 1 in all Traits, but when dodging or sneaking, its Physical is considered to be 4. It has four Health Levels and takes one die of pain penalties per Health Level lost. If slain, a familiar can be re-created via the same ritual as before, though instead the five points of blood are poured into a silver basin over the nights, along with trappings that would represent the dead creature for birds, whiskers for cats, etc at the end of which the animal is reformed from their master's blood. When being recreated from death, the Tremere must roll Intelligence + Occult at a difficulty of 5, once at the start of the ritual, in order to see how many memories the familiar retains. The amount of successes correlate to the below chart on how much they remember. Botch: Contact the ST, dramatic failure and the ritual cannot be done for another week. Failure: The creature cannot be made and the ritual has to be restarted tomorrow night. 1-2 Successes: They only remember their master's name and presence, beyond that it is as if they are newly birthed. 3-4 Successes: The creature remembers a decent amount. Their master, their master's most frequent visitors/friends, and the places they most frequently were. 5+ Successes: The creature remember's everything from their past life. Additional Reading The Reference's Desk Tremere Page The V20 Subnet's Tremere Page